For a guy barely above a point per game in the OHL as an 18 year-old? I can understand wanting to do away with the rule all together but making an exemption for Niklas Jensen of all players is pointless.

Not really. He made a huge case for staying up with the team after his first training camp and if we were a non-playoff team he likely would've. Having watched him in 3 of his 6 Wolves' games, his game is well suited to the pros. He's really not that far off from making the NHL.

Not really. He made a huge case for staying up with the team after his first training camp and if we were a non-playoff team he likely would've. Having watched him in 3 of his 6 Wolves' games, his game is well suited to the pros. He's really not that far off from making the NHL.

Jensen is a perfect example of why scouts don't look at stats.

The problem is, every team can make the same argument for their players.

Hell, just on the Flames you could that argue Bartschi, Reinhart, and Ferland are all men amongst boys who's size and talent should have had them playing in the AHL this season. Especially Ferland, his physical powerforward game is well suited to the pros.

ugh i hate that rule where he can only play in the NHL or CHL next year. they need to bring in that exemption rule or something

It's not the NHL or AHL who back that ruling.

It's one that the CHL leagues have pushed through to ensure that they aren't depleted of all their 18 and 19 year olds at every juncture.

They are the ones who pushed that through.

It makes major sense for them too, because just imagine how many NHL teams would rather have all their 18-20 year olds at their own affiliate rather than playing for a junior club where they aren't directly controlling and influencing his development.

It makes major sense for them too, because just imagine how many NHL teams would rather have all their 18-20 year olds at their own affiliate rather than playing for a junior club where they aren't directly controlling and influencing his development.

I think a 1 in 10 years type of exemption (per team) could be interesting and it could only be applied 1 year after the draft. Not sure how open the CHL would be to that though.

If he can't be the best player on the CHL team he is playing for how is he going to be good at the AHL or NHL level.

Not all players have to be the best player on their CHL team to be a good player in the AHL/NHl, he put up very respectable numbers in his second year in the OHL this year with 58p in 57gp. Players like Jordan Staal and Ryan Johansen were drafted 2nd and 4th overall putting up <1ppg. Not everyone looks at statistics. Sebastian Collberg is the second rated swede in this years draft and he has 0G 0A 0P in 41 GP , albiet in the SEL but he still has 0 points for an offensively minded player, but it has still yet affected his stock. Jensen has put up 4 G in 6 games so far and he deserves a shot in the AHL (If he was allowed).

Better to keep discussion about drafted prospects to the team specific boards.

Discussing players from Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Boston, and any team with a large HF following will be met with nothing but negatives from the masses of people tired of hearing about the Canucks, Leafs etc

It's hard to say with the NHL/AHL thing... sometimes when you think your type of player would benefit more from playing in the AHL (big power forward type who has nothing to learn) it's usually the more slight/cerebral types that benefit more. Brandon Pirri and Nick Leddy both played in the AHL when they were 19 and it has benfitted both tremendously I would say. John Carlson did as well, the sample size is too small so it's hard to say which players would benefit the most.

I dont follow prospects much but how does this guy look for next year? Is there any chance he makaes it on the canucks next year or will he play a year in the AHL?

It's either the Canucks or OHL next year, he's not old enough for the AHL unfortunately. By all reports he had a great training camp at the start of this one so another one could conceivably put him in contention. A roster spot would have to open up though.

It's either the Canucks or OHL next year, he's not old enough for the AHL unfortunately. By all reports he had a great training camp at the start of this one so another one could conceivably put him in contention. A roster spot would have to open up though.

It's going to be pretty awkward when Mason Raymond goes to Rogers Arena at the end of the playoffs to clean out his locker room stall and sees that his name plate has already been replaced by Jensen.

I honestly haven't been this excited about a Canucks prospect since.. Cody Hodgson? It's been a few years.

I dont follow prospects much but how does this guy look for next year? Is there any chance he makaes it on the canucks next year or will he play a year in the AHL?

Either OHL or the NHL for him. Personally, I think he belongs in the AHL which makes the rule even more unfortunate. He needs to work on his defensive game for the pros but that's not something he's going to get accomplished all that well in juniors. His offensive game is ready or close to ready for the NHL. (Based on watching him with the Chicago Wolves.)

I think it will depend on who is coaching the Canucks next season. AV was downright giddy when he saw Jensen in the pre-season and the way he talked about him, I don't think there has ever been another Canuck prospect that made him that excited. So I could see Jensen making the team with AV around.

Here is another interesting tidbit. A couple of weeks ago the coach for the danish national team stated publicly that Nicklas Jensen was out of the picture for this years worlds .. because of the AHL playoff.

Well you an opinion until you have a new one. Today he states that he is very much in the picture to play for Denmark in this years world championships.

Obviously his recent succes amongst the grown ups and the fact that Chi Wolves are down 0-2 in the series had some inpact.

Playing for AIK in the SEL league Nicklas Jensen is team leading with 5G 2A in 10 matches (position 15-23 all league) and with a -3 statistics.
AIK is really struggling, but it doesn't seem to stop him in developing. Rather it's probably going to make him tougher mentally since he will be more and more "the expected guy" to save the team.

Yeah. The one thnk I'm worried about is that his playmaking may not be developing as it should, as I think he know his linemates are often not the greatest, and shoots the puck more often than he should(although he has a great shot, so it's not too bad). While it would be great to add another sniper to our team, and he is doing extremely well, I think playing lesser minutes on a bad team has cons as well as the pros of working hard, I just don't want the "do it yourself" attitude to become a habit when he gets to the NHL level.

Yeah. The one thnk I'm worried about is that his playmaking may not be developing as it should, as I think he know his linemates are often not the greatest, and shoots the puck more often than he should(although he has a great shot, so it's not too bad). While it would be great to add another sniper to our team, and he is doing extremely well, I think playing lesser minutes on a bad team has cons as well as the pros of working hard, I just don't want the "do it yourself" attitude to become a habit when he gets to the NHL level.

Who said he is playing lesser minutes? I heard he was getting good icetime